Meet Junior Counselor: Charli Elliott

I’ve worked many basketball camps over my years of sports. I have spent countless hours teaching young women of the next generation all that I have to offer. And I must say, that being a Junior Counselor for Team Awesome Basketball Leadership Academy (TABLA) has been one of the best experiences I’ve had as a mentor.

I’ve always loved team-building activities and TABLA was chock full of them. Participating in these activities side-by-side with the campers gave me a chance to really bond with them, and that connection carried over into other elements of camp. When it came time for drills, I could pull a player aside, give them a quick note on how to improve, send them back into the drill and watch them put the change into action. This camp also covered a wide range of topics, from the typical basketball drills all the way to learning about the warning signs of an abusive relationship, which deepened the connection between counselors and players.

I also learned a lot from being a counselor at this academy. Running drills was a challenge to me, because I had to figure out various techniques to teach one skill, so that I could connect with different learning styles and skill levels. I also took away many lessons from the workshops, because I heard testimonies from other young female athletes and received insight that I had never considered. It definitely changed the way I view women’s sports and my role as a female athlete.

I think the biggest reason I enjoyed this camp (besides coaching the championship 3-on-3 team) was that I knew I was making a life-long impact on the young women I was coaching. I wasn’t just giving them some basketball skills they would take and maybe not use, but passing on knowledge and life skills that they can take into not only sports, but school, work and relationships going forward for the rest of their life.

Junior Counselor applications are now open to current college student-athletes or recent graduates from any NCAA or NAIA divisions. Join us for a unique, extraordinary opportunity to empower the next generations of girls in sports!

Campers, register as a team or an individual to work with and get to know our *awesome* Junior Counselors this summer! Check out our TABLA website for more information!